Harry Potter and the Cauldron of Renovation
by Jennie
Summary: The year starts out strange, giving Harry the impression of a crazy year, when a lot of wierd new powers keep popping up, robberies, gods, goddesses, family ties, and a whole bunch of other stuff keep popping up. How will Harry ever survive?
1. An Unusual Summer

Title: Harry Potter and The Cauldron of Renovation (1/?)  
  
Author: Jennie  
  
Author e-mail: bassettlover15@aol.com  
  
Category: Action/Adventure(I guess), Drama (some), Romance(not yet, but...), Mystery,   
Fantasy, a little bit of everything, really   
  
Keywords: Harry Potter, Summer, the Weasleys, Hermione Granger, fifth year,   
  
Spoilers: All four books  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Story Summary: The year starts out strange, giving Harry the impression of a crazy year, when there are a few odd first years, one odd but familiar DADA teacher, a lot of wierd new powers that keep popping up, a mysterious woman, robberies, gods, goddesses, and a whole lot more mixed into one school year. How will Harry ever survive?  
  
Part Summary: Summer starts interesting, with a surprise visit from Peter Pettigrew, and ends up with even more questions.  
  
Disclaimer: Yes, I do own Harry Potter. I also own Dragon Ball Z, the Gap, Limited Too, Scholastic Publishers, and I'm Queen of the world. Now, whoever believed that really needs to go to a doctor. Please, it's okay to get help when you need it. *Snort* Anyway, This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Other citations will be provided at the beginning or end of chapters, where needed. And no, I do not own Gap, Dragon Ball Z, Limeted Too and Scholastic Publishers, even though I wish I did own Gap, Limited Too, and Dragon Ball Z. Happy everyone?  
  
WARNING: Okay, I know everyone has a different religion. Trust me, I do. I've got friends from all sorts, and I'm not out to preach what religion you should have. But: here I've set the wizarding world as exetremely religous, and Christian. It'll be explained a bit here, in this chapter. Now, this isn't really a theme of the story, and if you don't feel comfortable reading it, then, you can skip over it, or, if you're really uncomfortable, you can e-mail me, and I can write the chapter with out going to into the religous themes. I don't want any complaints, becasue you have been warned. So, Kappiert? Kappiert. And I can already say that the Second Chapter doesn't have any religous themes in it.   
  
A/N: My first fic, that I'm actually posting! I'm so happy! I've been a reader for about two years, but when I've written stuff, it's always stayed on my computer, mostly because re-reading it now, it's awful! And it was only written a year ago too. *sniff* Yeah, well I'm learning. So, anyway, for your viewing pleasure,   
  
Harry Potter and the Cauldron of Renovation Part 1: An (un)usual Summer  
  
It wasn't the first time Harry Potter was locked in his bedroom at Number Four, Privet Drive. It wasn't his fault; not really anyway, Harry thought, as he lay on his bed, watching the clock tick by. He certainly hadn't asked Colin and Dennis Creevy to send him a birthday Howler, celebrating that the two of them had finally purchased an owl, but they had, and unfortunately it arrived during breakfast that morning.  
  
It was like any ordinary morning; Uncle Vernon was sitting at the table reading the morning newspaper, while Aunt Petunia made Harry cut up oranges for breakfast. Dudley was still on his diet, having lost almost no weight, he had adjusted somewhat though. Of course meant that Dudley went out with his friends daily to eat sweets, instead of coming home to eat them, leaving a trail even an idiot like himself could follow to his stash of sweets.   
  
As Harry was finishing up, an owl flew through the open kitchen window, and dropped a letter in Harry's lap. It flew around the kitchen a couple of times and finally settled on the top of the refrigerator. Harry knew it wasn't Pig, this owl was differently coloured, and a bit bigger, but it had Pig's personality, dipping through the air, waiting for some treat. Harry gave it some orange, and it swooped through the kitchen a few more times, before flying away.  
  
Uncle Vernon had in the meantime seized the letter, and threw it at Harry. "Open it, Boy," he growled.   
  
Harry complied, taking the bright red envelope and tearing apiece off. Harry should have exercised a little more caution, though, as the envelope exploded, causing Aunt Petunia to scream in fright, Uncle Vernon to yell, and Dudley to jump off his chair, and race out of the kitchen, as fast as he could go.  
  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!" the envelope shouted, "Our parents bought us an owl, and we wanted to send you a birthday card, so here it is!" The Howler, for that's what it was, began to sing a rather out of pitch rendition of 'Happy Birthday', not to mention it was two days early.  
  
After the song had finished the Howler burst into flames, Harry looked into the angry bulging eyes of his Uncle, and knew something horrible awaited him. "Get upstairs now. Stay there. Go!" Uncle Vernon managed to say, before collapsing on a stool.  
  
Harry decided it was best to comply, and trudged up the stairs to his room. As soon as he had flopped down on the bed, he heard the lock in the door click behind him, and realised that he was locked in. "Swell birthday" he muttered, before lying down to take a nap.  
  
***  
  
Harry found himself in a room that he didn't recognise. It was plainly furnished; a well used couch, a pair of chairs, and a small coffee table. Someone had placed an unlit candle there, and there was a wreath, with a picture inside. He moved closer to the picture, and saw it was himself, as a baby, wearing a frilly gown. The table was sprinkled in a circle of a white spice; Harry thought it was probably salt.  
  
He moved around the room some more, looking at books. This was obviously a wizard's house; there was a complete set of Hogwarts books, years one through seven, and a few manuals, "House Cleaning made Easy: fifty easy house cleaning charms for today's active witch" and "Cooking made Easy the Magic Way!" There were lots of boxes, and Harry got the impression that whoever lived here was either moving out or in. There were many candles set out, Harry realised, and they made a circle on the floor, surrounding the table with the wreath and picture. Harry had a feeling like it wouldn't be a good idea to disturb the circle, he couldn't explain why though, but he stepped carefully out of the circle, just the same.   
  
Harry looked around the room some more, taking in the sights. He looked at some more books; this person didn't seem to like the Dark Arts, because there were several anti Dark Arts books, telling people how to fight against them. Harry was going to pull out a book. It was a dark red book that didn't seem to be a book, but a photo album. He knew that it was probably an evasion of privacy, but he couldn't help like feeling that he knew this house, or if it wasn't the house, it was the aura in it. Just as he began to pull, he heard footsteps, and a woman's voice. He instantly vanished.  
  
***  
  
He awoke to find himself in his bedroom at the Dursleys, still locked in, with an owl sitting on the bed next to him. It was tapping his hand, which was what had woken him up from his dream. Harry turned over to see the clock and realised that it was ten at night, he was hungry, and his door was still locked. There was a platter of food there, a piece of dry bread, cheese and a small glass of water. Harry quickly gobbled it up, and pushed the platter back under the flap that had been there ever since his second year.  
  
Harry was beginning to wonder how much like his second year it was going to be, when Ron had rescued him in the Weasley's flying Ford Anglia. But back then, Harry didn't have a godfather convicted of murder and on the run. Sirius may have been innocent, but the Dursleys didn't know that. It was then that Harry remembered the owl was still there.   
  
Harry took the letter from the owl. It was a few days before his birthday, he remembered, and his friends were sending him presents. He decided that even though he shouldn't open them yet, he needed a distraction. Harry opened the letter and read:  
  
"Dear Harry,   
Happy birthday, I hope the muggles are treating you all right. I'm away now, with Olympia. We're visiting relatives. I won't be back till the end of August, so here's your birthday present. Hope you like it,  
  
Hagrid"  
  
Harry eyed the package attached warily. Hagrid was a wonderful friend, that was true, but he had an odd sense of what was safe or not, when it came to creatures great and small. The package was wrapped in normal parchment. It didn't shake, make noises or do anything suspicious. Did this mean Hagrid had actually bought Harry something, well, safe? If so, it was the first time. Harry grabbed his History of Magic book just in case, and was prepared to hit anything that came out of the box. He opened the wrappings carefully, making sure that nothing inside could hurt him. When he opened it, he was amazed. Inside was a perfectly normal book. Not a book like the Monster Book of Monsters, which Hagrid had given him before, one that bit, and could scuttle across the floor like a crab, but a real, harmless book, one that never would bite or scratch or run away.  
  
Harry picked it up carefully, he still had some misgivings, but it seemed harmless. It was bound in dark brown leather. There weren't any stains on it, it was old, but in good condition, except that it had no title written on the cover. Harry opened it carefully, and stared, as writing appeared. There was a note clipped to the first page in Hagrid's writing. Harry picked it up, and read:   
  
"Dear Harry,  
I found this book for you in Slovenia, that's where I am…oops, weren't supposed to say that. Don't tell anyone, alright? I can't read it, but I hope you can, or you can get Hermione to help you. She's good with languages. The man said that no one could read it, and no one knew what language it was. I didn't believe him though. Have fun with it."  
  
Harry picked up the book. It looked normal, and as far as he could see, it was written in English. It was about magical reptiles, for the most part dragons and snakes, with a few other variations mixed in. All in all, it was an interesting and surprisingly safe birthday present. Harry had also been sent some odd sweet, which actually had tasted good, when Harry tried it. He ate some more, and then hid it under his bed. Dudley may be afraid of magic for the most part, but anything sweet, regardless if it was magic or not, he'd try.  
  
Harry then realised that a few more owls had come. This time Pig was one of them, and another owl Harry didn't recognize was also there. Harry reached for Pig's letter first. It was from Ron of course, and Harry read it.  
  
"Dear Harry,  
Mum asked Dumbledore if you could spend the rest of the summer with us, but he said to wait a bit. Later in August sometime, he said. How's Snuffles doing? I sent you some Daily Prophets, but there isn't any information over You-Know-Who yet, Fudge must still be keeping quiet about it.   
Fred and George somehow got a thousand Galleons, and have spent the entire summer working on Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. They've charmed their room so it looks normal, and all the weird sounds are charmed so that no one over the age of Hogwarts can hear them. They actually bought me dress robes, because they said they were feeling generous. I'm trying to work up the nerve to wear them, knowing those two, they won't be safe.   
Have you heard from Hermione? She'll probably send you something too. I wonder if she went to visit Viktor Krum. I hope not. He's too old for her.   
So, here's your birthday present.   
  
Hope you like it,  
Ron"  
  
Harry looked at the present Ron had sent him. In addition to a cake, and assorted sweets (Harry made sure they weren't Weasley's Wizard Wheezes before trying them) there was also a book on famous Quidditch stars, their most famous moves, a list of all the brooms ever made and how rare and good they are. Harry flipped through it, and read a bit, before falling asleep.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Harry awoke early, the sun shining in his eyes, and to the shouts of Aunt Petunia. "Get up, Boy!" she screeched. "You have to paint the house!"  
  
Harry stared at the wall in front of him. He had been ordered to paint the entire thing, and it was huge. It was stifling hot, and he had barely started. He couldn't eat breakfast until it was halfway done, and it was seven in the morning. He started dipping his brush in the paint. He thought about yesterday, when he was locked in his room, and decided that that was better than having to paint the house.  
  
He developed a rhythm, and time passed fairly quickly. At ten, he was finished enough so that he could eat breakfast. He went into the kitchen, and picked up his breakfast, a piece of lemon. He tried to eat it, and managed to swallow half of it, before he had to stop due to the sourness. He waited a bit, and then finished it, drinking a lot of water, before he went and finished the side of the house.   
  
When Harry was finished with two sides of the house, and it was dusk, Harry came in, and was locked in his bedroom. A plate of food was passed through the flap, and Harry ate, wondering how long it was going to be before Ron could pick him up. Harry fell asleep, and didn't wake up till an owl tapped at his window.   
  
Harry yawned, and opened the window, allowing a beautiful owl to fly in. He didn't recognize it, and took the letter with some confusion. He opened it, and read:  
  
"Dear Harry,  
I hope this finds you well. I am currently in Rome, and enjoying the amazing history of witchcraft, as well as the muggle history. Ancient Runes has helped me so much, my Latin helps me learn even more.   
I've enclosed your birthday present. I hope you find it useful. It's sort of a protection as well as toy. In ancient Rome, wizards used amulets to ward off evils. This is the book explaining about them, and it also has several interesting spells about fighting Dark Magic. The only problem is that it's written in Latin…but you should learn it, Harry. I also sent you a handy translating guide. Have fun, Harry, I'm sure Ron will get you later.  
  
Love from,   
Hermione"  
  
Harry had to shake his head. He just knew that Hermione would send him a book. That made three books this year, and he had no idea what Sirius would send him. That was also a book, probably by the way things were going.   
  
Sirius' letter came right then. Harry picked it up, and looked at it. The owl was a normal tawny owl, not at all uncommon. Well, he can't be that far away…didn't Dumbledore send him to Professor Lupin's? Harry thought. He gave the owl an Owl Treat, and watched the owl fly off. Harry opened the package. It contained something small, a tube of something. Harry began to examine it closely.   
  
Harry looked more closely at the tube. It was bright green, and the blue lettering flashed all over it. Google's Goop. Harry set it down, and took out Sirius's card. It read:  
  
"Dear Harry,  
I hope you're doing well. Don't feel bad to threaten your relatives with me; after all, that's what I'm here for. I'm laying low with Moony, and am recruiting some old friends. I think you'll be meeting some interesting people once you're back at Hogwarts this year. Anyway, Happy Birthday. I assume you've already seen your present, and want an explanation.  
When your father and I were at school, they had this amazing stuff called Google Goop. It makes someone do what you say for an hour, as long as the thing you say doesn't cause anyone harm. Just the same, the Ministry didn't trust it, and it was pretty much outlawed, or it couldn't be made anymore, though if you already had some, it was no problem. Of course, your father and I went out to all the stores we knew that carried it, and bought them all out. So, due to this, I have about ten boxes of Google Goop, and you have about twenty, each with twenty cubes in them. Do the math and you see how much you have. So, have fun with this, and remember don't be going and flashing this around. Oh, and another note, Google Goop can't be traced, so you can use it on the muggles.  
  
Love,   
Snuffles"   
  
  
Harry looked at the tube in his hand. He was just imagining how much fun he could have with it, when another owl came. The only letter that he was missing was the Hogwarts letter, and Harry had a feeling this was it. He took the letter, and found he was right.  
  
It was a normal Hogwarts letter, and the only thing he found odd was that for Defence they were assigned three books. One was over jewels and stones, one was for death, or at least that's what Harry thought as the book was called Death, and the third book was A Guide to Defence and Duelling. Harry looked at that book, and flipped through it. It actually looked fairly interesting, explaining the history as well as the spells against fighting the Dark Arts. Harry put the book aside, and realized that he had to work on his essays for school.   
  
***  
  
Harry was almost finished with his Potions essay. It was long enough, and all he had to do was explain his reasoning in why Sleeping Potions shouldn't be used. A glance at the clock told him that it was past midnight, and he had been fifteen for two hours and thirteen minutes. Harry finished his sentence, therefore completing his essay, and crawled into bed.  
  
Harry looked up, at the sky. He had a feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't place it. The sky was a bright blue, hardly a cloud in the sky. There was a slight wind, and with it stirred the flowers and leaves as well as the skirt of the woman who was walking towards him.   
  
The woman was beautiful, her bright red curls tumbling down her back, her bright green eyes sparkling. She was dressed mugglely, wearing a long, flowing white dress. She wore pearl earrings, and a gold heart shaped necklace, which was obviously very old, and very beautiful. Her feet were bare, and when she stopped near Harry, to pick him up, it seemed, Harry saw a diamond and pearl engagement band, and an emerald nestled in diamonds and pearls wedding ring on her hand. She picked up Harry, and he had to smile. He felt a lot younger, and realized that this was him as a baby.   
  
Harry instinctively tried to grab her hair, but she was too fast. "No, Harry, you can't grab Mummy's hair." She pulled her hair out of his reach, and turned around, walking back where she came from.   
  
Harry gazed at the scenery. It was grass, dotted with flowers, and a small stream running through. There were trees in the background, obviously a forest. Birds flew overhead, and Harry noticed a rabbit go dashing through. If only the day could stay that way.  
  
Harry finally caught a glimpse of a house. It was standing alone, in the clearing. There was another house further in the distant, but quite far. As they neared the house, Harry saw a dirt path running in the distance, probably to a road. Harry found himself being set down upon that, as he heard a voice.  
  
"Hey, Lil! Did you find him? Where did that little adventurer go now?" Harry was picked up by a man, with dark brown eyes, and messy jet-black hair, sticking straight up in all directions. His father was dressed mugglely as well, wearing khakis and a blue button down shirt. Harry was being twirled around, and was laughing. He finally stopped, and set Harry down again.   
  
"Oh, he was back behind the house, you know, near the stream. He was just sitting there." Lily Potter picked him up again. "So, when are they coming again?"  
  
James Potter looked at his watch. "Well, Remus should be coming any minute now; you know how punctual he is. Ditto for Sissy. Alina and Sirius though…who knows? In an hour? Two hours? Tomorrow?"  
  
"Is Peter coming, and is Skyla?" Lily rocked Harry and he felt himself relaxing.   
  
"Peter can't, said something about having to meet someone. He was really vague…do you think he's actually got a girlfriend? And Sky might come, I don't know. You know how Sky is…she always is running off doing things, and not giving explanations."  
  
Just then, Harry looked up, and saw a man come striding up the path. He was thin, with light brown hair, and light eyes. Harry tried to say Professor Lupin, but it didn't seem to work. He said "Moony!" instead.  
  
Remus laughed. "Right, Harry. So, how's everything going?" Lily handed Harry over to him. "I hope I'm not late."   
  
Lily laughed. "No, you're not. Actually, you're a bit early." She looked around. "Is Sissy coming?"  
  
Remus nodded. "Yes, but she had a bit of a delay. And I won't even ask where Sirius and Alina are."  
  
James nodded. "Spot on, Moony. I guess they're having an 'in' time."  
  
Lily laughed. "Yes, I suppose they are. I wonder if they'll ever get-"  
  
Harry shook his head as he awoke. He didn't remember much, but he did remember seeing his parents, and Professor Lupin. Sirius was mentioned too. He remembered there were a few other names…Harry shook his head. It was a relief not to have nightmares over the Third Task, as he had been having lately. The sound that had woken him up was Aunt Petunia's high-pitched voice.   
  
"Harry! Boy, get down here this instant. You need to fix breakfast, and then scrub the kitchen!"  
  
Harry sighed, and hurriedly got dressed, coming down stairs.  
  
***  
  
Harry was half way done cleaning the kitchen, when the doorbell rang. Harry looked up, as Aunt Petunia came to answer it. There were hushed tones, and Harry strained to hear, as Aunt Petunia came inside, followed by none other than a short man, with a bedraggled look, who looked very out of place in muggle clothes. The man didn't seem like anyone that noticeable, and Harry wasn't really paying attention.  
  
"Harry, dear, this man is here to take you away…it seems that you have a great-grandfather out there, on your father's side…I wish you didn't have to go, dearest, you have to promise to write to us!" Aunt Petunia burst into fake tears, and Harry glanced up.  
  
Harry's first thought was if he really had another relative out there, why was he out at the Dursleys' in the first place. His second thought was did he really have a relative out there? Dumbledore hadn't said anything about it. And his third thought was maybe it was a joke of Ron's, or Fred and George's. But, all these turned to be wrong, when he looked up into the man's face. It was pale, and had a resemblance to a rat's. Which, it probably should, due to the man's Animagus form.  
  
"You!" Harry was up in a shot, ready to do anything, should it come to that.   
  
"Yes, me." He smiled evilly. "Now, come with me, Harry, I'll take you away, so you never have to see these people again."  
  
"No!" Harry shouted, flinging himself on Wormtail. Wormtail instantly turned into a rat, and ran to the other side of the kitchen. It was his show of magic that made Aunt Petunia scream.  
  
Dudley and Uncle Vernon came racing into the kitchen, as fast as they could go. Aunt Petunia was still screaming, and Uncle Vernon looked ready to kill, armed with a stick-Harry had no idea where he had gotten that- purple in the face, and held up the stick. Dudley stood there, staring stupidly. Harry picked himself up from where he had landed, and glared at Wormtail.  
  
Wormtail was ready. He held out his wand. "Well, Harry, I did give you a chance. You could come and join me-it is the winning side- but, I guess you'd rather die, than get away from these people. Avada Kedav-"   
  
Harry tensed as he heard Wormtail beginning the curse. But then the strange thing happened. Just as Wormtail was finishing the curse, there was a terrific flash of gold light, and Harry found himself being hurled through the air, landing on the ground, and letting the darkness take hold of him.   
  
  
***  
  
Ron Weasley was bored. Percy was off with Penelope, Fred and George were locked in their room, experimenting, Bill was in Gringotts, working on some curse, Charlie was visiting an old friend who worked with Welsh Green dragons, and Ginny was off with a friend, Michaela was the name, Ron thought.   
  
What he really wanted was to have Harry or Hermione come stay for the rest of the summer, but that wasn't possible. Hermione and her family were in Italy, Rome to be precise, and Harry was with his awful relatives. If only Dumbledore would let him come.  
  
Mr Weasley, as well as Mrs Weasley, along with Percy, Charlie and Bill would go off sometimes for meetings. They never explained what they were for, but Ron had an inkling that it was something to do with You-Know-Who. Percy had taken over Mr Crouch's position, and was working in building bonds with other countries it seemed. That was the only information Percy would disclose.  
  
Bill spent a lot of time studying curses, and casting them. Sometimes he just disappeared; apparated out in the middle of dinner for no reason. He also wouldn't say a thing, though he was talking about switching from Egypt to England. He was also friends with (Ron wasn't sure if they were dating or not) a woman named Madeline, an old classmate, who also worked at Gringotts and would go visit her quite often.  
  
Charlie was out visiting various friends from all over, brining them home sometimes, and going all over the world with them. Ron figured that Charlie must have been around the world ten times in the last month. Charlie was always bringing strange wizards home from all the exotic places. The wizard from the Boombige Wizarding Tribe in Africa, who watched over Bige Dragons, had eaten dinner with his toes while seated on the floor, played a reed through his nose, and had given Molly Weasley a plate of roasted ants as a good bye gift. Fred and George were still laughing over him; Mrs Weasley wasn't.  
  
Ron sometimes wished he could go off with his brothers, but then at other times, was glad for the peace and quiet. Ginny went off with her friend a lot, and Fred and George hardly left their room. On the other hand, it was quite boring. Ron simply wasn't used to being alone.  
  
Chess was a two-player game, Ron reflected as he looked out the window. So was Exploding Snap, or Exploding Snape, as the twins called it, and had even made their own set of Exploding Snape cards. Quidditch was also a game that requires more people than one, and riding a broomstick alone wasn't very much fun. Ron had made up his mind to go and explore the muggle town, near the village, and was about to go downstairs, when a huge bang sounded, a flash of golden light appeared, and four figures came hurtling through the air, landing on the Burrow's front lawn. Ron almost fell down the stairs, when he saw one of the figures. A boy, wearing broken glasses, with incredibly messy jet-black hair that stuck up in every direction; Harry Potter.  
  
***  
  
Harry shook his head, as he slowly woke up. His glasses had been removed, and he was lying on a bed, but where-he didn't know. Harry felt around for his glasses, and placed them on his face. Ron's face swam into view. "Hi, Ron. Umm, where am I? Or actually, what am I doing here?"  
  
Mr Weasley came over, and sat right next to Ron, on a chair pulled up by Harry's bed. "Hello, Harry. Let's see here, you happen to be at the Burrow, and you just appeared from nowhere a few hours ago. There was a large bang, a flash of golden light, and you, your aunt, cousin and uncle just appeared on the front lawn. They're still asleep, Dumbledore said to wait with them, we'll have to modify their memories."  
  
Harry suddenly remembered. "Wait, Wormtail! Did he appear too?"  
  
Mr Weasley screwed up his face. "No, I didn't see him, and Ron didn't, did you Ron?" Ron shook his head. "Ron was the first one out there. What did happen?"  
  
"A question we'd all like answered. Care to explain, Harry?" Professor Dumbledore looked extremely- regal, Harry thought was the word. In Hogwarts, where everything had a regal look, so much like Professor Dumbledore, he never had looked out of place; you didn't even notice the majestic ness of him. But here, in the Burrow, where everything was nice, but held no majestic quality, he looked regal, even more so it seemed.  
  
Harry swallowed, and sighed. "I don't really know how I got here. I was cleaning the kitchen, and the doorbell rang. Aunt Petunia answered it; I couldn't hear what she was saying. She then came in the kitchen with Wormtail. Aunt Petunia said he was taking me to some relative- I think it was my great-grandfather. I threw myself at him, but he transformed, and ran across the kitchen. Aunt Petunia started to scream. Dudley and Uncle Vernon came racing in; Wormtail pulled out a wand, said that he'd given me a chance, to come and join the winning side, as he called it, and started to cast Avada Kedavra. I remember wishing to get away from there, and before Wormtail finished the curse, there was a bang, a flash of gold light, I remember flying through the air it seemed, and landing. Then everything went dark, and I woke up here."  
  
Professor Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Well, it was quite stupid for Wormtail to cast Dark Magic, on you, in my wards, on your birthday, but he did. Unfortunately, Wormtail wasn't here, so we don't know what happened to him. We do need to wake up your Aunt though. She is muggle, but she did see Wormtail, and can testify to that in court. The magic though…we'll memory charm her after she gives testimony, and then place a selective memory charm on her, so that she can remember Wormtail, but no magic."  
  
Harry felt a little happier. "So, Sirius can be on trial?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "It's not that easy, Harry. Your aunt is a muggle, which the prosecutor will throw out in the courtroom, complaining that we could have easily charmed her. Plus, the trial won't be for at least half a year, and probably longer than that. And, we need a ground for opening the trial."  
  
"But Sirius was in Azkaban wrongfully! That has to be a reason!" Harry shouted.  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately it's not that easy. He was sent to Azkaban without a trial, and when it was only an Auror trial, it wouldn't be so awful. I've spoken to most of the Aurors, and they all believe me that he's innocent. But, because he escaped from Azkaban, and, because he never had a trial in the first place, this trial will have to be tried under the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement and, or the Minister of Magic. The trial preparatory work will take quite long, and, Briefs must be written, evidence must be filed, witnesses must be found…some say that muggle trials take a long time. That is nothing compared to magical trials."  
  
"Oh, so how long will it take?"  
  
Mr Weasley stepped in. "Oh, normally trials take six months, but because this involves evidence from fourteen years ago, I'd say a year, maybe a little less, especially if we manage to get a hold of Pettigrew."  
  
Harry sighed. "Wonderful. So, what are we going to do about the Dursleys? I don't think they can just sit here."  
  
"Oh no, Harry, we'll wake them up, and then place a temporary memory charm on them, a removable one. That way they can testify if needed." Professor Dumbledore stood up, and took out a crystal. "Oh, yes, Minerva, I'm coming now. I'll fill you in on details later." Dumbledore deposited the crystal back in his pocket, and nodded to Mr Weasley. "Arthur, I'll be seeing you in a few days?"  
  
Mr Weasley nodded. "Of course. Good bye." Dumbledore apparated out of the burrow.  
  
Harry turned to Ron. "So, what am I going to do for the rest of the summer?"  
  
Ron stared at him as if he were crazy. "What do you think you're going to do? Go to the Alps? You're staying here with us, of course."  
  
Harry looked up in surprise. "But you said that Dumbledore wouldn't allow it."  
  
Ron snorted. "I did. That was before you landed on the front lawn. Mum took out a weird crystal, and started to talk to him on it. He apparated in, moved you here, and well, you saw him. He said that you could stay here now."  
  
"Great!" Harry started to stand, but before he could, Mrs Weasley came, and made him lie down again.   
  
"Harry, you must lie down. Plus, Arthur and a friend from the Ministry are busy obliviating the Dursleys. It wouldn't due to have you come running in there."  
  
Harry lied back down again, and sighed. "When can I get up?"  
  
"In an hour or so. Then I expect you'll be back to normal."  
  
***  
  
Harry woke up from his nap, feeling completely rested. Standing up, he realised that he was in a girl's room, most likely Ginny's; due to the fact she was the only girl in the family. It was a pretty room, Harry thought, but quite girly. It was painted white, and had dark purple and bright yellow stars flashing over the walls. The curtains were purple, the bedspread too. The pillows were yellow, and so was the rug.   
  
Harry shook his head, and left the room. It was the closest bedroom to the front door, and that probably the reason he was there. Entering the hall way, behind the kitchen, Harry almost fell over the pile of- were those books? Sure enough, there was a pile of books sitting on the floor. Harry stepped over them, and peered into the kitchen.   
  
The kitchen was overflowing with books, and more kept on appearing. Harry was reminded of the scene in The Sorcerer's Stone, which he had seen one day in the library when he was six. Aunt Petunia had needed to go visit her friend Yvonne in the hospital, and had taken Dudley with her. She didn't dare take Harry with her, she said, and no one else was free to watch him, Mrs Figg was visiting an old friend for the day. Aunt Petunia had seen that the library offered a free moving showing for children that day, and had quickly deposited Harry there, with a warning to be good, and not do anything funny. If Aunt Petunia had known what the movie was, that it was some blasphemy, Harry would have never been allowed. As it was, though, Harry got to see it, and it had been an introduction into the make-believe, or real, world of fantasy and magic.  
  
Harry had enjoyed the movie, he felt like Wart, or Arthur, as his real name was, and always wished he could turn out like that. Of course, in a way he had…but that was beside the point. The point was that the kitchen was practically buried under books, and more appeared every second.  
  
'Mrs Weasley!" Harry shouted, not knowing what else to do. Mrs Weasley's head appeared from the door into the living room.   
  
"What is it, dear?" She said, kindly, most likely thinking he was scared, or having a nightmare.  
  
"There are books all over the kitchen! And more keep on appearing!"  
  
Mrs Weasley smiled. "Yes, I know. Arthur used an Appearing Charm on the books, he needed them."  
  
"Mr Weasley needed over a hundred books?" Harry couldn't keep the incredulousness out of his voice.  
  
This time, Mrs Weasley was surprised. "What do you mean? There should be five."  
  
Harry shook his head. "I think you should go take a look at the kitchen."  
  
"I agree." Mrs Weasley stood up, and then almost screamed, when she got a sight of the kitchen. "Oh my! This shouldn't happen! Arthur only wanted five books."  
  
"Arthur isn't licensed, is he? Appearing Charms are quite temperamental…it's usually recommended to use them only when you're licensed."  
  
Harry and Mrs Weasley turned around, at the voice behind them. There was a man standing there, with dirty blond hair, and blue-grey eyes. He was normal sized and dressed mugglely. Harry stared at him, he had never seen this person before, but there was something familiar about him. Mrs Weasley obliviously knew him though.  
  
"Oh, it's you. Honestly, you almost gave me a heart attack. You should no better, it's not polite to apparate in, unannounced."  
  
  
"Sorry, Molly. So, who's this?" The man looked at Harry, and then gasped. "Oh my God, it can't be- is it really you? My word, you're the spitting image of James, well, you do have Lily's eyes, but still…I haven't seen you in ages."  
  
Harry stared at the man. He had no idea who this was, except that he probably wasn't a Dark Wizard, due to Mrs Weasley's reaction. "I'm Harry Potter. And you are-?"  
  
The man laughed at Harry's question. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Samuel Hayes, call me Sam. I was in school with your parents…same dorm as your father, actually." He held out a hand, and Harry took it, smiling. Sam wasn't that bad, Harry decided. He certainly hadn't tried to look at Harry's scar.  
  
Sam nodded. "Right then, like I was saying, Appearing Charms should only be done when licensed. Otherwise…well, things like this usually happen. I will admit though, that this is probably the worse case I've seen, especially with a grown wizard. I'm assuming that Arthur didn't close the charm properly, there's a bit of a ritual involved." He stepped into the kitchen, and raised his hand. Waving his wand, he emitted purple stars from his wand, and the books stopped coming. "Banish, you books, to where ever you have come, go, this day, except, for those five that were originally wished!" He waved his wand again, and all the books, except five, vanished.  
  
Harry stared at him. "Wow…when do we learn that? And, what was that, exactly?" Harry was in awe over the spectacle. Sam had banished the books, but hadn't used a Banishing Charm, like they had learned in class, last year.  
  
Sam laughed again. "I'm sure you know what Summoning Charms are? And Banishing Charms? Well, an Appearing Charm is like a Summoning Charm, except that it doesn't summon, to be exact. It makes the object appear. One instant it's there- "He pointed to the table in the kitchen, "one instant later it's here, in my hands. No movement, very handy when things are far away, there's no way for a muggle to pick up on an Appearing Charm, except when he sees it disappear, or reappear. Then, to make it go away, it's just commanding it, for the most part. But," his eyes met Harry's, "you must be licensed, for it to properly work. Getting licensed is hard; it's even harder than getting an Apparation License. Appearing Charms can be greatly misused, and it's heavily regulated. You don't even start to learn them till Seventh Year, and it's in the end of that. It's hard to control, and only a select class of students are chosen to take the lessons for it. It's not necessarily normal curriculum."  
  
Sam turned to Mrs Weasley. "I don't recommend doing that again. Tell Arthur that as well." He pulled out a crystal from his pocket, similar to the one Professor Dumbledore also had had. "Well, I'm off, just stepping in, to check everything out. By the way, we're setting up wards. I'd keep everyone either out or in, for the next few hours, no going back and forth while we set them up. Bye, see you later." And with a pop, Sam apparated out.  
  
***  
  
Harry was left with an odd feeling, as Sam apparated out. Mrs Weasley gave him a knowing look.   
  
"I'm sure you're feeling a little odd…that's just Sam's magic. He got in a potions accident a few years ago, and somehow, when ever he uses magic, it leaves an odd tingly sensation in the air. You will get used to it; he'll be coming around a lot. Another Order member and an excellent Experimental Charmist. He was Mark's best friend; he used to come over here all the time."  
  
"Who's Mark?" Harry looked up at Mrs Weasley.   
  
"Oh, Mark was Arthur's second youngest brother. He was in your parent's year, like Sam. Mark was an Auror, sacrificed him self so that someone could escape, when he was nineteen. I never knew who he had saved, no one either knew, or told me, but I hope who ever it was is grateful. Mark had such a promising future." Mrs Weasley dried her eyes, as they were getting a bit teary. "Well, now you've met Sam. I assume you want to play with the boys, they should be playing Quidditch. We have all your things here, Dumbledore brought them here, and your aunt, uncle and cousin are at their house, remembering nothing. Your broom's in Ron's bedroom." Mrs Weasley nodded, and walked into the kitchen, muttering something about dinner. Harry went upstairs, and got his broom.  
  
Harry paced in front of the line off Weasleys, and assorted other players. "Ron!" He yelled. There were twelve players standing in front of him. Ron, Bill, Ginny, Fred and George were there, as well as Angelina Johnson, who was staying with the Weasleys for a week. Sam was standing there, as well as Ryan Talvers, David Triole, Brendan Mitchels, Kezia Coulter and Mara Hawkings, who had all been working on setting up wards around the Burrow. They were taking a break though, and had rushed to join in when they had heard about the Quidditch game.  
  
"Bill!"  
  
"Fred!"  
  
"George!"  
  
"Angelina!"  
  
"Sam!"  
  
"Ginny!"  
  
"David!"  
  
It was Harry's turn, and he wasn't sure about who he was going to pick. He didn't know Brendan, Ryan, Kezia or Mara, so he decided to choose the one standing close to him; Ryan. "Ryan!"  
  
"Kezia!"  
  
"Um…Mara!"  
  
"Brendan!" Charlie finished, and both captains turned to their teams, figuring out who was to play what.  
  
Harry looked at the six players circled around him. "Okay, I know what you play, Fred, Angelina, about I don't know what the rest of you play. Ron? You want to play Keeper, don't you?"  
  
Ron nodded. "Right, and Gin, you like Chaser, right?" Ginny nodded.  
  
Ryan looked at Mara. "Well, we both were on our House Team, when we were at school, Beater and Chaser. And, since you lack those two positions…I'll say you picked well." Ryan picked up his broom, that he had appeared here. As Ryan finished, Harry could see the resemblance to someone- but Harry couldn't think of whom.  
  
The team mounted, and rose into the air. Charlie was playing Seeker, with Sam, David and Kezia as Chasers, George and Bill as Beaters, and Brendan as Keeper. Charlie's team was a lot older than Harry's; Sam had been in Harry's parents' Year, Bill was twenty-eight, and Harry didn't know how old Brendan, Kezia and David were, but they had obviously graduated from Hogwarts more than five years ago.  
  
The balls were released, and the game started. Bill got hold of the Quaffle, and flew with it, was intercepted by Ginny, and she passed to Angelina. Harry didn't pay much attention to the game, he was out looking for the Snitch but he did notice that Ryan was an excellent Beater, Ron was a very good Keeper, and Ginny was fast, and good at Chasing. He decided that next year, when Angelina, Katie and Alicia had left, Ginny would be excellent for the team.   
  
Just then, a flitter of gold light caught his eye, and he dove, down, to the ground, for the Snitch. He avoided the Bludger, and stuck out his hand. Charlie was close behind, but Harry already had the advantage. Harry pulled the broom a little more diagonal, and reached out his hand, as far as it could go. His fingers touched the Snitch, and it was gone.  
  
Harry pulled up, and groaned. He had almost had the Snitch. He had touched it, but he hadn't had time to close his fingers around it. He surveyed the pitch again, and kept an eye out for it.  
  
***  
  
Harry figured that at least an hour had gone by, and the Snitch still hadn't appeared. Harry's team was leading by one-hundred fifty points, so a Snitch capture would either win the game, or tie it. Harry peeled his eyes open, and then saw it. Sitting next to Ryan, it was shining in the afternoon sunlight. Harry dived, and grabbed for it, just as a Bludger was hit at him. He swerved, and collided with Ryan, and both of them fell off their brooms.  
  
They weren't very high off the ground, only about ten feet, but it still hurt. Harry had fallen on top of Ryan, who was groaning. "Oh, Harry, get off. You obviously inherited your dad's bony structure."  
  
Harry hurriedly got off, and then stared, as he saw who was sitting under him; Sirius Black.  
  
"Sirius? But-but you're hiding! What are you doing here?" Harry was happy, surprised and confused all at once.  
  
Sirius stood up, and looked at the people surrounding him and Harry. "Oh, they all know I'm innocent, it was declared at the first Order meeting. And I was helping to set up wards. I'm in disguise only because on the chance that someone comes, someone who doesn't know I'm innocent."  
  
Harry looked at Sirius, as if he couldn't believe it. "So, how long are you staying?"  
  
Sirius smiled. "Oh, till tonight, then I go to Remus' and I come back tomorrow morning."  
  
***  
  
The Quidditch game was forgotten, and Sirius changed back into his disguise. The adults came back to setting up wards, and Ron, Harry, Ginny, Fred and George played Exploding Snape till dinner.   
  
The others left then, and it was down to the Weasleys and Harry. Dinner was peaceful. Percy was boring everyone about his new language course; he was learning Spanish, which Percy claimed had something to do with setting up alliances with Spain. Charlie, Fred and George were talking animatedly over Quidditch, a few days before Puddlemere United had beaten the Winbourne Wasps. Bill and Mrs Weasley were arguing over his hair length again, Ginny was asking her father about something, and Ron was busy talking about Exploding Snape- it seemed that when Fred and George invented it, it was a lot more popular than they had planned.  
  
Harry was listening to the various conversations, when an owl flew through the window. It dropped the Daily Prophet off, and flew away. Mr Weasley looked confused.   
  
"Well, this is odd. The Daily Prophet comes in the morning, and we've already received it for the day." Mr Weasley flipped the paper over in his hands, and then stopped. "Or, I think I know what this is. Order!" The paper opened.  
  
The paper was written like a newspaper, but it had a lot more information inside. The headline was 'Meeting in two days!', and a few of the articles were about attacks. That's when Harry was really reminded that Voldemort truly was back.  
  
"I remember that Fudge didn't believe Voldemort was back. Is he still denying it?" Harry spoke out. Everyone cringed when they heard the name.  
  
Mr Weasley cleared his throat. "Well, at the moment, yes. Of course there have been a lot of attacks lately, but the thing is that no Dark Mark has been cast, so no one is really sure who it is. We on the Order are working on awareness, but it's quite hard. No one's really sure what to believe."  
  
"What's the Order? Dumbledore and you have both said it." Harry asked.  
  
"The Order? Well, the real name is the Order of the Phoenix, and we're pretty much a committee working against You-Know-Who. Every time there's a Dark Wizard about, the Order is called up. But that's all I'm allowed to say…it's fairly top secret." Mr Weasley put down the paper, and whispered "Incendio" at it. It burst into flames, and soon there was nothing, not even ash on the table. "No news by the way, nothing new that is."  
  
Dinner then returned to how it was before.  
  
***  
  
Harry woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. Ron was still asleep, and Harry dressed quietly, trying not to disturb Ron. He decided to read Hagrid's birthday present, and was getting to an interesting part on Singing Snakes, when Ron woke up.  
  
"Hi, Harry." He yawned, and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"  
  
"Around nine." Harry shut the book, and set it back into his trunk.  
  
Ron stood up, and got dressed. "C'mon, let's go downstairs. Hermione's supposed to send us a letter today." He trampled down the stairs, and Harry followed in his wake.  
  
Right after breakfast the letter came. It read:  
  
"Dear Harry and Ron,  
I do hope you two are all right. How has your summer been? Like I wrote earlier, my summer has been very interesting. We're busy visiting Pompeii, it's full of old historical things, and there are even parts for only magical people. I'm learning loads. I hope you're both working hard on school work, and Ron, tell your mother thanks for the invitation, and I can come the last week of August.   
Tell everyone hi, and Harry, say hi to Snuffles for me. Have a wonderful summer, and I'll be coming in a few weeks.  
  
Love from Hermione"  
  
Ron ran off to tell his mother of Hermione's arrival, and Harry was left with the letter. He had been getting an odd feeling lately when he thought about her, but he just ignored it. The butterflies in his stomach were there probably because he ate so much porridge. Nothing to worry about.  
  
The rest of the day went smoothly, and so did the weeks after that. He and Ron played Quidditch, did some homework, but only when Mrs Weasley nagged, and just hung out. Ginny often went to visit a friend, but when she was at home, she would play Exploding Snape with them, or some other game. And Fred and George were mostly locked up in their bedroom. It was a good thing the room was charmed against making loud noises, nobody wanted to know what was happening inside.  
  
They hadn't been to Diagon Alley yet, for Mrs Weasley wanted to go with Hermione. They waited, and marked off days on the calendar, just waiting for her arrival date to come.  
  
***  
  
The twenty fifth of August was a bright, warm Friday, when Hermione arrived. Everyone was awaiting her knock, and they had had a few false alarms when Michaela had come, or when Sam and Sirius rang, needing to get Mr Weasley to help with a complicated charm.   
  
Then, at two thirty, exactly, the doorbell rang. Mrs Weasley opened it, and there stood a familiar girl, Hermione. She was wearing jean shorts, sandals, and a white t-shirt with a row of flowers embroidered on it. Her hair was more of a golden brown now, and it was more curly than bushy. She wore it loose, with a headband, and it reached to her shoulder blades. She had had sunglasses on, but she removed them, and her eyes were a bright, chocolaty brown. She was tanned, and she seemed taller. She smiled.   
  
"Hi everyone, I'd like to introduce my mother."  
  
A woman that looked extremely like Hermione stepped out from behind her. It was easy to tell where Hermione had gotten her height, her curls, her hair colour, and her stature. Harry had seen Mrs Granger once before, during the summer before his second year, in Diagon Alley, but it had been short, and Harry really hadn't been paying attention. Mrs Granger held out a hand and Mrs Weasley took it. "I'm Emily Granger. I'm so pleased to meet everyone here, Hermi's told me so much about all of you, and please call me Emily." Emily Granger had a sweet soft voice, and a nice smile. Harry liked her instantly.  
  
Mrs Weasley smiled. "Yes, it's nice to meet you. Let me introduce everyone. This is Bill, Charlie, Percy, George- I mean Fred, sorry Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Harry. I'm not sure…have you met Harry and Ron already?"  
  
Emily shook her head. "No, I haven't, but I've heard a lot about you two." She held out her hand, and Harry took it.  
  
"Mum, you know Dad's waiting at home with her. I'll be fine, and now you've met everyone." Hermione looked impatient.  
  
Emily turned to her daughter. "Of course, Hermi, I'm going now. Make sure you write." She walked out to her car, and got inside driving away.  
  
Hermione was left with Harry and the Weasleys.  
  
***  
  
The first thing Ron did was ask Hermione if she had visited Viktor Krum. "Hermione, did you visit Vicky?" He put extra sarcasm into his voice when he said 'Vicky'.   
  
Hermione, who had just been greeting Ginny, turned around at him. "No, I didn't. If you must go, we had no time, first of all, and then, my parents also thought it wasn't necessarily appropriate for me to go visit a boy who has finished with school, who lives in another country and someone they haven't met." Her voice was cool.  
  
"So, how was your summer? And thanks for the book." Harry hurriedly cut in, hoping to distract Ron and Hermione from fighting.   
  
Hermione faced him, with a smile on her face. "It was wonderful, Rome is so beautiful, and I learned so much. And you're welcome for the present. I'm glad you liked it. Of course, I remembered I forgot to send you the amulet that goes with the book. I have it in my trunk. I'll give it to you when I unpack. Now, Ginny, do you know where I'm going to be staying?"  
  
She and Ginny left walking towards Ginny's room. Harry and Ron were left in her wake.  
  
***  
  
Ron was the first to speak. "I wonder what's wrong with her. She totally ignored me."  
  
Harry snorted. "She didn't ignore you, Ron. She did answer your question."  
  
"Yeah, but she said no 'Hello' or anything. And I think her voice was cold enough to freeze the never freezing flower."  
  
Harry glared at his best friend. "Well, you weren't necessarily that polite to her, were you? Did you have to taunt her about Viktor Krum the second she got here?"  
  
Ron had inherited the famous Weasley temper, and it showed. His ears turn red, and so did his face. "What are you talking about? You're making her seem like the victim, like it's all my fault!"  
  
"Of course it is! It if you hadn't taunted her, she wouldn't have gotten mad at you!" Harry shook his head, but then stopped. He had planning to turn and storm away from Ron, but now he didn't think he could. About ten objects were levitating in the air behind Ron. Three books, a table, a vase with a bouquet, a table cloth, a mirror, a hair brush, an umbrella and a glass owl were all sitting about five feet in the air.   
  
Ron noticed Harry's speechlessness. "What is it?"   
  
Harry shook his head, and found his voice. "Um, Ron, turn around."  
  
Ron turned slowly around, and stared. His eyes grew wide with shock. "Mum! Anyone! Come quick!"  
  
Harry looked at Ron. "Do you have any idea why this happened?"  
  
Ron shook his head. "No, that's why I'm a bit worried. And if you look closely, you can see they glow gold. That's the oddest thing. And no one else is here, and we have no ghosts or poltergeists."  
  
"Are you sure it's not Fred or George?"  
  
"No, I'm positive. They would be around here."  
  
Just then hurried footsteps announced Mrs Weasley's arrival. She took one look at the objects, and then hurriedly pulled out her crystal. "Professor, something else happened. Yes, but nothing dangerous. Are you going to come?"  
  
She listened to the answer, and then turned to Ron and Harry. "Ron, you may go. Harry, come with me please."  
  
Ron left, with a strange glance at Harry, and Harry looked at Mrs Weasley. "Mrs Weasley? How did they get there? And what's going on?"  
  
Mrs Weasley sighed. She led Harry into the kitchen, and sat down across from him at the table. "Harry, were you and Ron fighting right before Ron called me?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Yeah, I guess you could say we were."  
  
"And did you get mad?"  
  
"Yes, I was getting mad, but was does that have to do with it?"  
  
Mrs Weasley looked at Harry kindly. "That explains it. And earlier, when Pettigrew came on your birthday? Were you mad then?"  
  
Harry looked down at his lap and answered with a hint of confusion "Yes, I was."  
  
"Harry, look at me." Harry brought his eyes to Mrs Weasley's. "There are going to be a lot of things happening this year, and many of them are going to involve you. I can not explain all of them to you, but this I can, or at least explain some. When a witch or wizard gets angry or sad, uncontrolled magic happens, pure magic. Now, most magical children grow out of this after they receive their first wand, for a wand controls magic. Wandless magic, well, certain kinds of wandless magic are extremely hard to control, and the average witch or wizard loses his or her ability to perform them when they receive a wand. But, sometimes a witch or wizard will not grow out of their anger magic, as it's called, not until later. But, it's always gone by the thirteenth birthday, when a witch or wizard grows up, a little more, that is. I'm not going to go into the stages of magic now.  
  
"What's special, and strange in you though, is that you never grew out of that power. You have used it three times after your thirteenth birthday. Once, right after to blow up your aunt, then to escape Pettigrew, and third to levitate these objects. I don't think you'll ever grow out of it, so you must be careful. The angrier you are the more potent it is. You'll have to control your anger a bit, and practise." Mrs Weasley stood up and smiled. "Now, go and find Ron. Just remember what I said."  
  
Harry nodded, and jumped up, going to find Ron.  
  
***  
  
The week passed quickly and soon it was the thirty-first of August. The day was warm and sunny, and the Weasleys, or at least the Weasleys due in school tomorrow were rejoicing their last day of freedom. Harry and Hermione were rejoicing, though in Hermione's case, that might not have been the word. She was happy to be returning to school, and even though Harry liked school, he had to admit that this summer was excellent, and he didn't want it to end. But all good things come to an end, and summer is one of them.   
  
The afternoon sun was high above, there was enough wind for the day to be not too hot, and there was barely a cloud in the sky. Fred and George had just appeared from the house, and walked over to where Harry was lying down on the ground, staring up in the sky.  
  
"What's up, Harry?"  
  
Harry looked up at the twins, their faces in shadow. He sat up. Studying their faces more closely, he recognized the familiar prankster look they wore, that I-have-a-prank-up-my-sleeve-but-I-did-nothing-wrong look. "What are you two doing?" He asked suspiciously.  
  
Fred smiled his look again. "Oh, nothing, Harry, we came outside only to admire the flowers."  
  
Harry glared at the two. "How daft do you think I am?"  
  
"Oh, George, what do you think?"  
  
"I'd say a little daft."  
  
"I'd say pretty daft."  
  
"I'd say-"   
  
"Enough!" Harry interrupted the twins. "So, really, what are you two up to?"  
  
George smiled at Harry, and Fred grinned. "Well, we've decided that we want to try a new prank. We made these new biscuits, and they need testing. I happen to know that a certain someone's godfather is coming by today. If you could just slip this into his plate during tea, no one will get blamed, and we'll get to test it."  
  
Harry looked at the twins carefully. "And what exactly does this do?"  
  
Fred came, and put an arm around Harry. "See, Harry, this makes the eater turn into a turtle. They're called Turtle Tarts, and they don't wear off for a while. The thing is we don't know how long. So, we need a victim- err, I mean tester."  
  
"And what if I don't want to turn my godfather into a turtle?" He eyed the twins warily.  
  
"Well, then, I guess we'd need a new tester. See, Percy's not that much fun anymore, now that he's got a girlfriend. And, Ginny doesn't fall for it anymore, not to mention Mum would have our heads. Ron also is suspicious, and we wouldn't even dare to get Hermione. So, that leaves you, or Sirius. So, Harry, which do you choose?" Fred leaned down, into Harry's face.  
  
Harry thought quickly. Sirius used to be a Marauder, so he knew how to accept a prank. And it would be fun to trick one of Fred and George's idols. "Okay, I'll give it to Sirius. When is he coming by anyway?"  
  
George shrugged. "Who knows? Ever since they were finished with wards, they haven't been around very much. But Mum did say he was coming today. Of course Mum will serve tea, she always does."  
  
Harry felt the tart being pressed in his hands, and then watched as the twins left. It was going to be funny, to see Sirius, this famous Marauder being tricked to turn into a turtle. He was going to walk to the house, when he stopped. Sitting on a sunny rock was Hermione. Her hair was in her eyes, trailing down as she concentrated on her book. Harry crept quietly up to her. She was mumbling, talking to herself about her book, probably. She did it quite often, and the only remedy for it was to interrupt her. "Hi, Hermi!"  
  
She jumped up. "Oh, Harry, you startled me!"  
  
Harry smiled and sat down next to her. "That was my idea." He ducked as she swatted at him. He looked at her book. "I thought you had already finished your homework."  
  
She glared at him. "I did."  
  
"So, then why are you reading this book?"  
  
She sniffed, and then held her head high. "Just because you don't like to read, it doesn't mean that I don't. This is our Defence book or one of them anyway. It teaches about magical properties of amulets, jewellery, and even stones and gems. Did you know that gold is one of the most used metals to make amulets? It's highly protective and-"  
  
"And I'm sure that's very interesting, if I really wanted to buy an amulet."  
  
"Oh you." She swatted at him again.  
  
Harry stood up. "Hey, want to come to the village? I've never bee there, and it's fairly boring right now."  
  
Hermione sighed. "Well, it does seem tempting-"  
  
"Oh, please?" Harry pouted.  
  
Hermione laughed. "Well, all right, if it makes you stop pouting. Pouting doesn't really become you."  
  
"Yeah, well, it got you to go with me, didn't it?" He ducked again, as her swat missed his head.  
  
"Sometime, Harry Potter, pouting isn't going to work." Hermione gave him a look strangely reminiscent of Professor McGonagall, and got up. "Let me put my book inside, and then we'll go."   
  
***  
  
When they got back from the village, it was almost dinnertime. They had had a wonderful time, the village was quaint, and Harry decided that he wanted to come again. If only summer would last. They arrived at the kitchen door, and Harry walked in. Ron was sitting at the table, muttering over a bowl of something steamy. He looked up when they came in.  
  
"HI you guys. Where were you?" He stirred the bowl again, and glared at it.  
  
"Oh, walking around the village. It's quite quaint, isn't it?" Hermione pulled at a chair, and sat across from Ron. "What are you doing?"  
  
Ron made a face. "Stirring this stupid potion thing. Mum won't tell me what it's for, but I have to keep stirring it."  
  
Harry sat next to Hermione. "So, do you know when Sirius's going to come?"  
  
Ron shook his head. "Nope. Soon, I'd expect, it's almost dinner time."  
  
Harry nodded. "Yeah…where is everyone?"  
  
Ron shrugged. "No clue. Percy's with Penelope, Charlie's visiting some friend, Anne or Anna. Bill's working at Gringotts and Dad's at work. But all the rest, I don't know. Check the clock."  
  
Harry shrugged. "Na, it's not that important. Plus I don't feel like moving right now."  
  
Ron nodded, and went back to stirring. Hermione picked up her book, and continued to read. Well, this is going to be boring. Harry thought, shrugging and getting up from the table.   
  
***  
  
The Burrow was strangely quiet, Harry reflected, as he walked up the stairs. There were no odd sounds coming from Fred and George's room. Ginny's door was also closed. Harry sighed. He wasn't used to being bored-at Hogwarts there was so much going on, at the Dursleys' he was forced to work, and at the Burrow, there were usually a lot of other people around.   
  
Harry wandered through the living room, when there was a splutter at the fire place, and Mrs Weasley appeared through it. Her arms were laden with bags and she set them down on the table, before turning to Harry.   
  
"Hello, dear."  
  
Harry smiled. "Do you need some help?"  
  
Mrs Weasley shook her head. "No, I was out shopping. I think I've got everything we'll need for tonight. Oh, and an owl just came for you." She pointed to the owl that had swooped in through the window.  
  
The owl had a small rectangular cardboard box in its claws. It set the box down on the table, and then flew quickly away. Harry furrowed his brows, as he came to take a look at the box. He took it in his hands, and ripped off the paper.   
  
Inside was a wreath made of twigs, two candles, two packets of herbs, a hand written note, and a picture. Harry picked up the picture in its twig frame. It showed a young baby Harry dressed in a white lacy robe. A cross was glowing on his forehead, and he was being held by his mother, who was wearing a plain white robe, tied with a cord. His father was standing next to her, and Sirius, as well as another woman was also in the photo. All were dressed like his mother, and all had glowing crosses on their foreheads.   
  
Mrs. Weasley moved, startling Harry from his contemplation over the photos. "Harry, what did you get?"  
  
Harry shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "There are a few things in this box, but I don't exactly know what they are for. And whoever this was sent a picture with me, Sirius, my parents, and another woman."  
  
Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Well now, let's go into the kitchen, and I'll take a look."   
  
They went into the kitchen, were the situation hadn't changed. Ron was still stirring, and Hermione was deep into her book. As Mrs. Weasley set her bags onto the table, Ron jumped.   
  
"Oh, Mum, you're back! Can I please stop stirring?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley took the bowl from Ron, and placed it over the stove. She then turned to Harry. "Well, Harry, let's see what you received." She picked up the wreath, the candles, and the herbs, and stopped at the note. "Harry," she said gently, "I think you need to be the first to open the note. But I do think I know who sent this to you, and why. It's certainly not dangerous, and I think you should open it."  
  
Harry nodded, and took the note out. He opened it carefully, and read:  
  
"I know you don't remember me, I haven't seen you in years. I'm not going to go into a long story, because that would be pointless. What I am going to say is this: we have come into a time of terror, and all the ancient rituals are to be preformed. Because of this, you need to celebrate this day as well; I do not think only one celebration is enough. My identity is to remain secret, but feel free to ask. You are a great wizard, Harry Potter, and I know we will be right, to put our trust and faith into you."  
  
  
Harry looked at Mrs. Weasley, and handed her the note. "Do you know who it's from?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Yes, it's from Alina Kingston. That's her in the photo. I'm not going to tell you a lot about her, but you do deserve a name."  
  
Harry looked at the photo. The woman in it was smiling, waving. Her hair was damp, and water was trickling down her face. She had dark brown, almost black long hair, to her shoulder blades. It curled, but only at the ends. Her eyes were also a deep brown, and her skin was pale. Harry turned to Mr. Weasley again.   
  
"Mrs. Weasley, when was this photo taken? And why is today important?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley looked shocked. "Well, did your aunt and uncle ever go to church?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Yes, every Sunday. I wasn't allowed to go though; I stayed with a neighbour who was Jewish. They always said it wasn't for my kind, and at the time, I never realized what it meant. Now I do."  
  
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Well, most magical people go to church; it's something we've always done, since there was magic. It's a form of protection. A Baptism is a very special ceremony, combined with a Wizard's Naming Ceremony and Gift Bestowal. I'm not going to go into a lot of depth, but a Baptism is kind of like a counter curse of Dark Magic, on the day the Baptism is preformed. Then, each year after, on the birthday, and Baptism, a special ritual is preformed, by the god parents, parents, and other relatives, to keep the enchantments working. On those two days a year, a child is immune to Dark Magic. The Baptism in the wizarding world is always preformed exactly a month after the birth."  
  
Harry processed the information, and Hermione did too. This was obviously something she had never really though about. Harry broke the silence. "So, today's my Baptism?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Well, in a fashion, yes, it's the anniversary of your Baptism."  
  
"So, Voldemort can't do anything to me today?" Ron and Mrs. Weasley cringed. "Um, I mean You-Know-Who, sorry."  
  
"No, he can't do anything to you, as long as one person is casting and participating in the ritual."  
  
Harry processed this. "So, are there any other days he can't get at me?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Yes, your birthday, and the day of you Confirmation and Marriage. Christmas is also a day, and Easter as well."  
  
Harry stared at Mrs. Weasley. She kept on using odd words like Baptism and Confirmation. And where he had heard Baptism before, he had certainly never heard Confirmation. "What's Confirmation?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley gasped. "You don't know what that is? Oh my, you should have had that finished last year, or before that. I totally forgot you haven't received it yet. You must-"At her statement, a loud beep went off. Mrs. Weasley quickly brought her crystal, which was now glowing bright purple.   
  
"Hello? Yes …I'll tell him. Is everything all right? No assistance? Wonderful. Yes, good bye." She put the crystal away, and turned to Harry. "Harry, Sirius can't come now, there's been an attack on some family. They should be alright, but You-Know-Who has just begun to cast the Dark Mark, and Sirius is caught up in the Order."  
  
Harry nodded, and his spirits lowered. "I understand. I'll just go and put this box in my trunk."  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded distractedly; Fred and George had just come in, and were bombarding Mrs. Weasley with questions about dinner.  
  
***  
  
Harry looked around Ron's room. It was quite normal, it looked like it always did; a bit messy, with a bunch of clothes thrown over his trunk, the aquarium in the window, and a lot of other things strewed around. The desk was buried under junk, and Harry wondered what Hermione would say, if she saw it.  
  
He sat, staring out of the window. Why couldn't I just be normal? It's not like I asked to destroy Voldemort, to lose my parents, to have a Godfather who's on the run. I didn't even want to be in the Triwizard Tournament, and looks what happened. Cedric's dead and Voldemort's back. I still dream about it sometimes, but I don't dare cry out, it'd just bring attention to me. It's not fair. I mean, why is he after me in the first place?  
  
Harry shook his head, and found himself falling asleep.   
  
It was a church that much was obvious. It was decorated summery; there were flowers everywhere, and the stain glass windows shone brightly. It was also an old church, at least a thousand years old. There was no electricity, only candles. And the candles were lit, hanging in a chandelier at least twenty feet from the ground. There were three balconies, and an organ at the highest level, spilling out beautiful music. Harry didn't know the name, but he knew it was something beautiful, that he'd never forget.  
  
He was being held by someone, and Harry squirmed. His mother, for that's who it was, smiled down at him, and shifted him. "Shh, Harry, don't be afraid. Nothing can hurt you in this place, and on this day." Harry felt reassured, and settled down.  
  
That's what brought his attention to what he was wearing. The same lacy gown in the picture. Harry looked around, and saw an old man, a vicar, probably, dressed in black robes of velvet, holding a pitcher of water. Harry saw that the church was nearly full, which was saying something, as it could hold over two hundred people. The church was silent, as his mother handed him to another woman, the same woman in the picture. She held him, and spoke odd words, in Latin, Harry thought. He was then handed to Sirius, and then to the vicar.   
  
Harry wasn't really sure what was happening. He watched as the vicar poured water over his head, but he made no sound. Then the vicar drew a cross over his forehead. He was handed back to his mother. Lily Potter walked forward three steps, and then kneeled down in water. Harry watched as water was poured over her head, she kept her eyes closed. Her hold on Harry was tight.  
  
Harry didn't understand at all what was happening to him. He didn't want to disturb what ever it was though. Harry watched as a blue light enveloped his mother and a golden light enveloped him. He stared, amazed. He had seen pictures of his mother, and had thought she was beautiful. She had no need for make up, she was already pretty, with red long curls, pale, flawless skin, and bright green eyes, and Harry had also gotten the impression that she was petite. But no, that was nothing. She glowed in the blue light, making her beauty stand out even more.  
  
The entire church gasped, as Lily stood up, and carried Harry to the vicar. The vicar was obviously startled, and stared at Lily for a few seconds, before taking Harry. He felt himself being raised above his head, and the vicar proclaiming: "This is Harry James Potter, as baptized and named in the Spirit of God, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Let us worship His name today, as we bring praise and gifts to young Harry, a Child of God's. So mote it be."  
  
Harry found himself being lowered, and applause rang out, as he was handed back to his mother. Lily held Harry tightly, and walked down the aisle, her dress dripping, as everyone stood, wearing their finest.  
  
***  
  
Harry woke up, as Ron tapped him. "Are you all right? I've been tapping you for the last few minutes. It's almost like you weren't there. C'mon, it's time for dinner. Percy and Penelope are here, and they're excited about something. So are Bill and Charlie, here I mean, not excited."  
  
Harry groaned. "Ugh, I'm up. I had the oddest dream…" But Ron had already left.  
  
Coming into the kitchen, after he had inspected his appearance, he sat down next to Ron and Fred.  
  
"Have you done it?" Fred whispered secretly.  
  
Harry shook his head, lowering his voice. "No, he didn't come, something came up."  
  
Fred sighed. "Well, keep it; we can try it out at school, maybe Neville, or one of the Creeveys."  
  
Harry nodded, and dinner was a silent affair after that. Harry tuned out all the side conversations, and thought about his dream. It had seemed so real, like he was really there. He wondered if he could ask someone who had been there, to verify what had happened, especially the light.  
  
He was interrupted in his thoughts though, when Percy and Penelope stood up. "We have an announcement to make. Penny has agreed to marry me."  
  
There was a dead silence at the table, until Mr. Weasley smiled, and stood up. "Well, welcome to the family, Penelope."  
  
At this, Ginny and Hermione started to clap, and so did Mrs. Weasley, who had started to cry. Dinner was fairly loud after that, as everyone congratulated them, and Mrs. Weasley bombarded Penelope with questions about the wedding, such as when it was going to be, where, and did they already have a theme.  
  
Hermione and Ginny joined in, and Fred, George, Bill, Charlie and Ron were teasing Percy. Harry was silent.  
  
***  
  
Dinner passed, and Harry hurriedly went up to Ron's room, and lied down again. Today was so odd, Harry thought. It's nice that Percy and Penelope are getting married, I've been wondering if they ever would. A wedding here, at Christmas sounds nice. It must be pretty here at Christmas, with the woods, and clearing. Ron came in, and Harry pretended to be asleep. So why am I feeling so odd today? So lonely? The only time I didn't feel alone was when Hermi and I went walking in the town. What's wrong with me?  
  
Harry sighed, and turned over to sleep. What ever it was, it could wait until tomorrow, when he could talk about it.  
  
  
***  
  
  
A few hours earlier  
The woman glanced around, after she had appeared on the street corner. It certainly wouldn't be good for a bunch of muggles to see her apparating. This was a normal, suburbian muggle neighbourhood. The houses were all one storey and made of white cement. They had different shades of trim, and but were basically identical. The lawns were neatly trimmed, and they had flower beds growing under the windows, with a small porch and front door between.   
  
Why in the world would she want to live here? The woman couldn't help thinking, as she surveyed the street. It was so perfect, so similar; nothing at all like a typical wizarding neighbourhood, where houses tended to have changing colour trim, and gnomes. It was all so square, and depressing in a way. The woman shook her head. She had to admit that this would probably be the last place she'd think of looking for Alina, but still…she certainly couldn't survive living in a place like this.  
  
Checking the address she held in her hand, she glanced around for Number twenty-three. She saw the house, two houses down from where she stood. She sighed, and walked towards it. The house was the same as all the others. White, one storey, square, with light blue trim, flower beds under the front two windows, a small brick pathway leading to two steps up to the porch, which was really a roof, and a piece of elevated cement one foot up from the ground.  
  
She wasn't sure why she was here. She hadn't seen Alina in almost fourteen years, and their last meeting hadn't been pleasant. But, they were best friends once, and knew each other very well. Professor Dumbledore had also been most insistent, saying that we need all the friends we can get, and how an old grudge needs to be set aside, in this troubled time. Still, seeing Alina wasn't at the top of her favourite things to do list.   
  
Swallowing, and gathering courage, she looked around, and then walked up to the door. She needed to make this look natural, and not to call any attention to her self. Wearing a muggle business skirt, a white blouse, and black flats, she could pass as any muggle business woman. Her purse was plain brown leather, small, but enchanted on the inside to be big enough to hold her wand. Her light brown curls were cut shoulder length, and her green-hazel eyes narrowed, to read the sign next to the door: No Solicitors. Beware, or bear the consequences! She had to allow a little chuckle, Alina certainly hated solicitors, and she always had.  
  
She held her fist out, and knocked on the door. Foot steps sounded, as she let her breath out. She wasn't completely sure Alina would be home, as in this neighbourhood, only the wives, small children, and elderly would be at home. All the men would be at work, and the children would be at school. Alina was already enough to attract attention, just by walking out of the house in a bright coloured dress, and Alina liked calling attention to herself. Going to work, when in the neighbourhood all the women were housewives was something Alina might do.  
  
The door opened, and a woman peered out. Her dark, almost black hair was piled on top of her head, and she supported a bright blue eye shadow over her deep brown eyes. She was dressed in a bright blue shirt, and a skirt of a bright blue, with purple pokedots. The skirt showed three inch heel purple sandals, with toes covered in the same bright blue nail polish as her hands; the perfect match to her shirt and primary colour of her skirt. She looked bored. Her voice was a medium tone, as she looked at her visitor without even really seeing her. "I said no solicitors. Are you illiterate, or just stupid?" She looked at her visitor now, working her way up from the feet to head. She started as she saw the face. "Sis!"  
  
Sis nodded. "Long time, no see, Alina."  
  
Alina shrugged. "Yes, well, I didn't want to be bothered."  
  
Sis snorted. "I see. You certainly succeeded in that."  
  
"I know." Alina looked smug.  
  
Sis sighed. She had forgotten how trying her friend could be. "Well, may I come in?"  
  
Alina nodded, and moved away from the door frame, allowing her to enter. "So, why are you here?" She called, shutting the door.  
  
Sis walked into the living room. It was a square room, with old furniture, the exact same furniture Alina had had in their old flat right after they graduated, sixteen years ago, and had decorated her parents' house before that. She sat down on the couch, crossing her legs. Alina entered the room, and fell onto a chair diagonal from her.  
  
Alina raised her brows. "Well?"  
  
Sis gave Alina her trying smile, the smile that drove most people crazy when they saw it. "What makes you sure I came for a particular reason?"  
  
Alina shrugged. "Well, seeing as we haven't spoken in fourteen years, you shouldn't know where I am, and the fact that you're trying to blend in, is something."  
  
"I can't blend in with the muggles? That's quite odd…it was through Lily that we started to experiment with muggle things. That's how I believe you got your muggle fashion sense. You went into that night club, while Lily and I were shopping for baby clothes."  
  
Alina sighed. "I know, I know. So, how did you find me?"  
  
"Albus Dumbledore, of course. He's actually the reason I'm here."  
  
Alina sighed. "I should have known. He is the only person who knows where I am. So, why did he send you?"  
  
Sis sat up straighter. "It's Voldemort, Lina. He's back."  
  
At this, Alina fell off her chair. Struggling up, she grabbed onto the coffee table in front of the couch, and stood up. "You've got to be kidding."  
  
Sis shook her head. "I wish I was. We've reunited the Order, and all Aurors are on alert."  
  
The colour in Alina's face drained. "How? I mean, we knew he wasn't gone, but we were fairly sure he wouldn't be coming back for awhile."  
  
"Yes, well, it's Voldemort we're dealing with. I'm sure you're familiar with his other attempts? There was a Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts this year. Barty Crouch Jr. wasn't dead as we thought. His father had smuggled him out of Azkaban. He broke his father's Imperious Curse, and with the help of Wormtail-" Sis was cut off as Alina broke in.  
  
"Wormtail! You mean He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, that bitch!" Alina said angrily.  
  
Sis knew what it was like when her friend was angry, but held her ground. "No, I meant Wormtail. And you've never had a problem with calling Voldemort 'Voldemort'."  
  
Alina stopped her pacing. "I don't mean Voldemort. I mean the Traitor! The traitor who betrayed his best friends, because of his master. The traitor who killed thirteen innocent people, one who was the only person brave to stand up to him. That traitor."  
  
Realization dawned on Sis's face. "You mean Sirius."  
  
"Yes, I mean that traitor. He- he- he ruined my life. You know what happened that night? Right before he left for Lily and James'? He was with me. We had finished dinner, and were having fun. He gets down on his knees, and asks me 'Alina, will you-'. He then gets up, and shouts that he has to go. He leaves, and you know the rest. I thought he loved me. I know he was seconds close to proposing. What if he hadn't left and I had accepted? He only used me. That ficken Arschloch!" Alina was standing, clenching her hands. Her face was getting red, and her teeth were clenched.  
  
Sis knew she had to take control of the situation. "What was 'ficken Arschloch'?"  
  
Alina stopped, and her temper died down. "It means, well, it's just a few swear words in German. I spent a few months there a couple of years ago. Do you know that a country allows a foreign witch or wizard with a valid magic license in his or her home country to practise magic for six months before having to apply for one in that country?"  
  
"So, is that what you did? Just go all over the world?"  
  
Alina sat down again. "Not really. I stayed in places where English could be spoken. For instance, Berlin in Germany has a high English speaking population, due to the fact it's the capital. And people also speak English in Paris. I stayed for the most part in Europe."  
  
Sis nodded. "So, how's life been?"  
  
Alina shrugged. "Life's a bitch. You should know that."  
  
Sis nodded. "Yes well, life can also be very promising."  
  
Alina looked at her. "If you think I'm going to self AK, you've got to be kidding. I didn't say I wanted to commit suicide. That's always been my motto."  
  
Sis shrugged. "With you Lina, one can never be sure."  
  
"Right."  
  
Sis looked around the room, and her eyes fell on the coffee table. Well, not exactly the coffee table, but the circle of salt on top of it, with the wreath, candles and frame inside the circle. "Harry's?"  
  
"Of course. I'm the only one who's able to perform the ceremony, since he doesn't know about it, if I remember Petunia Evans."   
  
Sis furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"  
  
Alina sighed, and settled back into the chair. "Petunia once called Lily an unholy satanic demon, who should be exorcised into hell. Lily preformed a normal Witch's Cross, and that freaked out Petunia even more. She didn't want Lily to be at her wedding, but you remember Lindia Evans. She always wanted her daughters to get along. Petunia sure got into trouble for her remark, and Lily had to go to the wedding."  
  
Sis nodded. "Right, I remember Lily telling me that. Have you seen Harry since then?"  
  
Alina shifted and stood again. "I tried to. It was right before Christmas, that year. I knew he wasn't going to have a good Christmas after that, and I wanted to spend sometime with him. He might not have been protected fully with me, but I was an Auror, and a few hours wouldn't hurt him. I showed up on the doorstep, and she answered it. She apparently recognized me, and tried to shut the door in my face. Harry saw me though, and yelled for me. That was the last straw. She shut the door in my face, after telling me to never come again.  
  
"I had a nice chat with Arabella after that. She told me how she was preparing to memory charm him, how he kept on doing magic in front of the muggles, and they were getting fed up. I assume she preformed the Charm on him. I haven't heard of any controlled magic coming from a small child since then."  
  
Sis sighed. "I remember. He was so bright. He walked at five months, a few days before that even. And he talked early too. He was already performing First Year spells at the age of one, with out a wand, but with perfect control. Of course, James could also do magic without a wand, and so could Lily at times. And I could see how remembering us would also be hard. It was a good thing in the long run, I guess, for him to be memory charmed."   
  
"Right." Alina said dryly. She stared at the picture, and then turned to her friend. "Sis, did you really mean it when you said Voldemort was really back?"  
  
She nodded slowly. "I don't think I've been as dead serious. Here, here's a Daily Prophet." She pulled one out from her purse. "Fudge won't believe it, he's hushing it up. But now that the Mark's actually been cast, well, it's obvious. Like I said, the Order is back in session, and so is the Council. We need you as a Council and Order member, as well as Circle member."  
  
Alina started to pace again. "Right. I am still an Auror, so I'm still part of the Council of Aurors, and the Circle of Aurors for being Class AA. And I'm an Order member too. This is going to be fun."  
  
Sis shifted. "Right well, we were also wondering if you could also get the Society of Illusions to help us? I mean, you are the Mistress."  
  
Alina shook her head. "Not anymore, I'm not even on the Society anymore. But, I can get Sandri Kentsworth to nominate me as a member in, and once I'm in the Society, George Berks will certainly step down as Master, he doesn't really enjoy it very much."  
  
Sis never had really understood the odd rituals of the Society of Illusions, except that it was hard to get in, and a great honour to be the Master or Mistress. "Well, whatever you say, Alina. Just try." Sis stood up. "I really must be off. We have a meeting on the Order the thirty-first of September. And the Council and Circle meetings you'll find out as soon as I do, you know Moody."  
  
Alina stood up. "Right. I'm also going to send Harry some supplies, so he can perform his own ritual. It's best if more power is there, especially in these times we're entering. A second Voldemort era. Things are going to get worse."  
  
Sis looked at her. "Oh, are you becoming a Seer?"  
  
Alina snorted. "Right. I'm a Seer and Lil's alive. Lil's was the Seer, well, Divinator, not me."  
  
"Do you think Harry's inherited any of his mother's talents?" Sis gathered up her purse.  
  
"How would I know? I haven't seen him in almost fourteen years. I must get this package ready."  
  
Sis nodded, and started towards the door. "Do you have wards up, or where should I apparate from? And if you need or want to contact me, I'll be at Hogwarts."  
  
Alina followed her. "Apparate at the corner. Do you really think I'm going to not have wards up?" She opened the door, and watched as Sis walked out. "Bye, Sissy. I'll see you at the Order again then."  
  
Sis nodded. "Right, and remember I'm at Hogwarts. Bye." She walked to the corner, waved, and apparated away.  
  
Alina stood on her doorstep, watching her. Well, time to get ready. The time of terror is about to begin.  
  
~finish~   
  
  
A/N: Whew. Finished. Well, that part at least. So how was it? I've already got the seond part written, so I might post that over the weekend. Anyway, I hope you all liked it. And did you know that Reviews to an author are like milk to a kitten? Very nice, and necessary? So, did you get the hint? I really want feedback, and to know what people thought. And constructive critism is also very nice, but please no flames, though it doesn't really matter. Me and my pet Squirtle can deal with flames. And I have lots of other water Pokemon in backup.  
  
Oh, and anything mentioned here that is not in the books is mine, such as Google Goop, Appearing Charms, Sis, Alina, Emily Granger, Sam, and any other products, spells, and ideas. So, please ask before taking. And I do not own Pokemon. That belongs to Wizards of the Coast and umm, is it Warner Brothers? Oh yeah, Nintendo too, and any other company that has to do with Pokemon. And the Sorcerer's Stone belongs to Walt Disney. And anything else that doesn't belong to me, doesn't belong to me.  
  
Over and Out. 


	2. Author's Note, and apology

Hey everyone.  Look, I'm really sorry I haven't updated in months, but the second chapter got erased, and I have to rewrite it all over again.  Not to mention that I'm busy with school, and other things.  Feel free to e-mail me with questions, and I'll try to get the chapter out as soon as possible.

-Jennie


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